


Less of This

by HPfanonezillion



Series: Peeta Paints on Katniss [4]
Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Hurt, Pain, Painting, toatsbaby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-20
Updated: 2016-04-20
Packaged: 2018-06-03 08:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6603115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HPfanonezillion/pseuds/HPfanonezillion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katniss wakes up from a nightmare and Peeta soothes her back to sleep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Less of This

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on my Tumblr booksrockmyface. Title comes from the Christina Perri song My Eyes.

The scream ripped through the house as Katniss trashed and batted Peeta's hands away. Lily started crying in her room across the hall.

"Hey, Katniss, it's okay. It was just a dream. It's me. The real me." Somehow Peeta's soothing voice and the cries of their daughter broke through the haze and Katniss blinked several times to clear het vision. The dream receded and she was once again in the bedroom she shared with her husband. He reached out to her.

She pushed his hand away. "I'll get the baby." Rolling out of bed, she made her way across the hall and she started her list. "My name is Katniss Mellark. My home is District Twelve. I'm married to Peeta. My daughter's name is Lily. She is three months old." She lifted the baby up and held her close. She started calming almost immediately. "It's okay now. Mommy just had a bad dream. I'm sorry I scared you." She settled into the rocking chair and presented the baby with her breast. "There you go."

Katniss started her list again as Lily ate. It calmed them both, but Katniss still felt the fear at the edges of everything. Even when the baby was asleep, Katniss would still be awake in anticipation of another nightmare.

Katniss eventually put Lily back in her bed, sound asleep once more. She walked back into the bedroom she shared with Peeta, but found it empty.

With a sigh, she climbed back into bed on her stomach and cried softly into the pillow. She jumped when Peeta’s hand came to rest on her back.

He kissed the back of her head and then requested, “Roll over.”

She turned her head. “What are you doing?”

He smiled. “I’m going to paint on you.”

“You don’t have to. It’s so late.” She argued, pressing her face in the pillow once more.

He turned on the lamp. “Only a few more minutes until I have to get up anyway.” He picked up a piece of wood and a tube of paint. “This is what we do after nightmares and flashbacks. Now, roll over, Katniss.”

Remaining on her stomach, she held out her arm to him. She watched him in the dim light as he mixed colors and lovingly painted something Katniss couldn’t see. Peeta was quiet the entire time and she felt her eyes growing heavy. The last thing she remembered was Peeta blowing on the paint to dry it.

****

Katniss awoke with the morning sunlight shining through the open window. She listened for Lily’s soft cry in the room across the hall and didn’t hear it.

She hurried over and found a note in Peeta’s handwriting sitting in the middle of the crib.

It read, _At the bakery with Daddy. Come feed me when you wake up._

Katniss chuckled and then read underneath. _Wow, our girl is smart! Barely three months old and already writing! Come to the bakery when you’re ready. I took a couple bottles of the milk from the freezer, so no rush. We love you._

She smiled as she walked into the bathroom to shower. It was then that she remembered how Peeta had painted on her as she fell asleep. She looked down to see the image of Lily’s gummy grin looking up at her. Katniss traced the outline of their baby’s face and then got in the shower to wash away the dream from the night before. The painting would be missed, but there was a permanent version hanging over their mantle.

Katniss dressed quickly after her shower and then made her way to the bakery. She stepped into the back door and found Peeta with Lily strapped to his front, leaning over a ball of dough.

“Good morning.” She said softly as she wrapped her arms around him from behind.

Lily cooed when she saw her mother’s face over Peeta’s shoulder.

He straightened up and turned his head for a kiss. “Good morning. You want to take her for a while?”

“Sure.” Katniss lifted Lily out of the sling and held her close. “Have you had a good time with Daddy this morning?” She kissed the baby’s tiny cheek and brushed her hand over Lily’s bald head.

“We have! We’ve made ten loaves of bread and three dozen cheese buns and about ten dozen cookies.” Peeta sat the ball of dough off to the side to rise. “And I have a cake to decorate. Want to watch me?”

“Who’s watching the front?” Katniss said, looking up from Lily’s sweet face.

“Rory.” He stole a kiss as he walked past her.

“Good. He won’t disturb us.” She smiled and pulled him back for a longer kiss. “Thank you.”

“For what?” He wrapped an arm around her waist and placed a hand on Lily’s head.

“When you painted on me last night. I didn’t think I was going to get back to sleep after that nightmare.” She cupped his cheek. “Now get back to work, Mr. Mellark. Someone has to make some money around here.”

He chuckled and kissed her once more, letting his lips linger on hers just a moment longer than the last time. He leaned down and kissed Lily’s forehead before he moved toward the cabinet that held his food dyes.

It always fascinated Katniss how Peeta got the colors perfect on the first try. Lily fell asleep with her eyes transfixed on her father’s movements. The swirl of the frosting on the cake was just as soothing to Katniss as the feel of his paintbrush against her skin.

Looking up, Peeta leaned close and pulled Katniss’s hand over and wrote something on her palm in green frosting.

 _You’re beautiful._ His message read.

She shook her head and licked the frosting from her hand.

Peeta groaned. “Maybe not the best idea I ever had.”

Katniss grinned, a mischievous gleam in her eye as she licked the sugary concoction slowly. She leaned close and whispered, “When we get home, maybe you can paint along my body what you want me to do to you.”

He laughed. “Only if you do the same to me.”

“Of course.” She brushed a kiss over his lips. “Lily and I need some fresh air.” Katniss licked the last of the frosting off her hand and winked at Peeta before she walked out the door.

“I’ll have fresh cheese buns ready.” He called after her.

“You better.” She called over her shoulder just before she closed the door.


End file.
